The Leader of Vegas
by Big Bad T
Summary: The Courier has defeated three armies and now rules The Mojave Wasteland. As she struggles with maintaining her own nation, she thinks back to the events that brought her there. Post game story following the Wild Card ending. Rated M for swearing, nudity,and light smut.


_What was I thinking?_  
That was the question going through her mind, the mind of the Courier known as Carrie who walked the breadth of the Mojave wasteland, the Courier who spat in the face of three men who tried to use and manipulate her for their own ends. This was the Courier who three months ago seized control of an army and drove the other two back to their homelands. She was the Courier who now ruled New Vegas and the Mojave and she was in way over her head.  
Admittedly Carrie had only herself to blame for this. It was her own arrogance and stubbornness that caused her to turn rogue. Would playing along with one of the big boys have really been so bad? Well, going along Cesar probably wouldn't have been a good idea, and Mr. House for all his intelligence and cunning really rubbed Carrie the wrong way, plus he was a bit of a dick.  
Should she have helped the NCR all the way? She did help them the most out of any faction. Born and raised back west, she had nothing against NCR or its ideals, but to them she was just another citizen. The politicians and colonels just treated her like some lapdog to run errands. What would have really happened if NCR took over? How would Carrie have been rewarded? Some useless commendation and permission to stay in some rundown shack amongst the hell of the wasteland? No, she had come to far and done to much by that point to let somebody else take the glory. Doesn't stop it from being a stupid idea though.  
"Are you ready to begin?"  
Carrie was brought out of her train of thought by a now oh-so familiar voice. She glanced up at the massive screen which was once dominated by the face of Mr. House, now housing the much happier and unsettling face of Yes Man.  
"Let's get the update started." Carrie replied.  
Yes Man paused for a second. "I don't mean to be rude, but are you dressed appropriately for a business meeting?"  
Carrie raised an eyebrow. It was true she was rather...under dressed for an undisputed ruler. A pair of ragged pajama bottoms, an old T-shirt, and nothing else to it. With her bare feet propped up on the console in front of her and her short, chocolate colored hair messy with the bangs dancing around her face like always.  
"Well Yes Man, the way I see it. I decide what is and is not appropriate to wear in my country so I say PJs are perfectly acceptable business ware. So let's cut the shit and get started."  
"If you say so boss."  
Carrie grinned. For all her doubts, being the sole living resident in the Lucky 38 tower had its advantages.  
"How are things in the southern towns, away from Vegas?"  
"Securitron reports show they have been mostly stable, although raiders are still a problem.'  
"They shouldn't be." Carrie grumbled. "Great Khans packed up and moved North, Powder Gangs are either dead or in custody, and the Fiends have been pretty much wiped out. How can raiders still be a problem?"  
"Lack of security in the area makes travelers and Caravans easy targets of raiders now." Yes Man explained. "Securitron patrols are spread to thin."  
Carrie thought for a minute. "Can we spare more Securitrons to patrol the outer areas?"  
"Our numbers should allow that."  
"Then do it. Double Securitron patrols on the Highways."  
"Done and done."  
Carrie looked up at the screens again, one of them showing a picture of the old Legion Fort.  
"Any news about the Legion? What are they doing on their side?"  
"New reports say that Cesar has died."  
Carrie took her feet off the console and stood up from her chair, her eyes wide.  
"What?"  
"Well, based on known data he probably died around the time of Hoover Dam, but the information is getting out now."  
"Of coarse." Carrie said, now developing another grin. "They tried to cover up Caesar died, but the whole army is going into chaos, just like Marcus said it would. That the gist of it?"  
"Yes." Came the quick reply.  
Carries smug grin grew wider. _So the bastard got what's coming to him and his band of assholes are tearing themselves apart_._  
_"And the NCR?"  
"They have not permitted any Securitrons past the Mojave outpost, and they seem uninterested in the region."  
At that Carrie grimaced, the NCR wouldn't give up that easily.  
"Anything else?"  
Yes Man spent the rest of the meeting listing off the smaller issues, Freeside crime, Followers support and the like. Once it was over the Courier stood up from her seat.  
"I'm going to take a shower. Tell me if anything comes up."  
"Are you going anywhere today?"  
Carrie paused. "Haven't decided yet."  
"You have not left the Lucky 38 in..."  
"I know!" Carrie snapped. "Thank you Yes Man, no more questions of comments necessary."  
Taking the elevator down to the suite (there was a shower in the penthouse, but Carrie preferred the ones in the lower level.), Carrie became lost in thought, absent mindedly turning on the water and chucking her clothes in the corner. As the hot stream of water went over her body, she thought about how quiet this tower was with nobody here.  
All of the couriers former companions went back to their own lives. Cass was put in charge of the Mpjave caravans, filling the position once ocupied by the Crimson Caravan Company. Boone was working with her, in charge Caravan security.  
Lily had parted ways with the Courier just after Hoover Dam, heading north on the Highway and hadn't been heard from since.  
Rauls name frequantly came up in Raider reports, as he seemed to take a one-ghoul crusade against the criminals.  
Arcade was in the Followers camp, helping the sick, Rex back with The King in Freeside. Ed-E was the only one who hadn't left, but since the Courier no longer traveled it had since gone into stand-by mode and was now collecting dust in the Lucky 38 casino.  
Then there was Veronica, the one who got away. The one who stood with The Courier on this very floor all those weeks ago...


End file.
